The Ricker gave me a pea coat.

It's a nice, old pea coat, black, with anchors on the buttons (those that are left anyway). I started wearing this coat in high school. I thought it was pretty cool--it was my grandfather's old coat and apparently the Ricker was wearing this coat when he met Mrs. Ricker (that is, if I can believe anything the Ricker says). Still, it's a nice thought to have when I wear this coat (even though I try to forget about the first time I wore the coat, when I reached into the pocket and found a really old condom wrapper).

The coat used to be the Ricker's dad's coat (I guess we could call his father the Dicker). He passed away before I was born, so this is the only sentimental item I have that reminds me of him. When he gave me the coat, the Ricker told me a story about the Dicker and how he acquired the coat.

Like many men in the Greatest Generation, the Dicker fought in World War II. The Dicker was in the Air Force, fighting in Italy, when his plane was shot down over the Mediterranean. A naval ship picked up the Dicker and issued him a Navy uniform, including a pea coat. When the Dicker returned to the U.S., he kept the coat, eventually giving it to the Ricker.

Because of this story, I wore this coat with pride.

Until I wore the coat to visit my Nana in Portland one morning. She recognized the coat, instantly, because she had seen it so many times. But when I asked her about the Ricker's story, she laughed at me. "That coat? From the Navy? Your grandpa never saw any action like that! In fact, I was with him when he bought that coat--at the old Meier & Frank store!"